• U.S.

New York City’s Record Murder-Free Streak Ends After 12 Days

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A NYPD patrol vehicle is seen near the Marcy Houses public housing development in the Brooklyn borough of New York
Police have made several arrest in the murder of 15-year-old Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz whose brutal murder was caught on surveillance tape.Stephanie Keith—Reuters
By Sarah Begley

An unusually long run of days without a murder in New York City ended Saturday just shy of two weeks.

The New York Police Department believes this 12-day stretch was the longest without a homicide since the early ’90s, though last February saw a comparably long streak of 10 days.

Eric Roman was shot outside of his home in Queens on Friday and died of his wounds in a hospital on Saturday, the New York Times reports. The same day, another Queens man was found dead in his basement with head trauma, though that case has not yet been ruled a homicide.

Officials believe cold weather is the primary cause for these extended periods of quiet, and the shooting rate isn’t down year over year—136 people have been shot in New York as of Saturday this year, compared to 110 in the same period last year.

But while shootings are up, the murder rate is on the decline: homicides are down 2.5% year-to-date as of Feb. 8, and 82.4% since 1993.

[NYT]

Grit, Grime and Graffiti: Christopher Morris on the New York Subway, 1981

The following previously unpublished photos were taken by Christopher Morris in 1981: A woman walks through a heavily graffitied subway car, 1981.
The following previously unpublished photos were taken by Christopher Morris in 1981: A woman walks through a heavily graffitied subway car, 1981.Christopher Morris
Commuters wait for a train at 168th Street station in Manhattan, 1981.
Commuters wait for a train at 168th Street station in Manhattan, 1981.Christopher Morris
A commuter reading, 1981.
A commuter reading, 1981.Christopher Morris
A man sleeps in a subway car, 1981.
A man sleeps in a subway car, 1981.Christopher Morris
A group of teens pose on the 6 train in the South Bronx, 1981.
A group of teens pose on the 6 train in the South Bronx, 1981.Christopher Morris
A young teen tags a D train subway car window in a South Bronx train yard, 1981.
A young teen tags a D train subway car window in a South Bronx train yard, 1981.Christopher Morris
Commuters ascend and descend stairwells during rush hour, 1981.
Commuters ascend and descend stairwells during rush hour, 1981.Christopher Morris
A woman waits to board a train pulling into a station, 1981. Graffiti on the outside of subway cars was usually more elaborate than that inside.
A woman waits to board a train pulling into a station, 1981. Graffiti on the outside of subway cars was usually more elaborate than that inside.Christopher Morris
A commuter walks by a poster for the musical Dreamgirls and a Keith Haring chalk drawing, 1981.
A commuter walks by a poster for the musical Dreamgirls and a Keith Haring chalk drawing, 1981.Christopher Morris
Members of the Guardian Angels volunteer anti-crime patrolers, 1981.
Members of the Guardian Angels volunteer anti-crime patrolers, 1981.Christopher Morris
A man is seen wearing headphones through a subway car window, 1981.
A man is seen wearing headphones through a subway car window, 1981.Christopher Morris
A packed subway car during rush hour, 1981.
A packed subway car during rush hour, 1981.Christopher Morris
A subway conductor exits the conductor's cabin, 1981.
A subway conductor exits the conductor's cabin, 1981.Christopher Morris
A man about to board a subway car, 1981.
A man about to board a subway car, 1981.Christopher Morris
Discarded newspapers and trash on the floor of a subway car, 1981.
Discarded newspapers and trash on the floor of a subway car, 1981.Christopher Morris

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